World Within Worlds
by Windfield
Summary: This is an attempt to address the problem that we often see in fan fictions MarySues. Where do MarySues come from? How are they made? This story would explore all of that. At the same time, it pokes fun at the OOCness that we often see in fan fictions.
1. Prologue

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**World Within Worlds**

**Prologue**

_Flick._

"_Welcome to the new season of 'Wheel of…_"

_Flick._

"_It is that time again; 'Who wants to be…_"

_Flick._

"_Introducing your host, Bean the Duck IIIIIIIN 'The Price is…_"

Nothing…. Nothing at all…_Flick._

"_Previously on 'Survivor'…_"

That was it. It was official. The reality shows had basically taken over the TV channels. There was nothing interesting to watch.

_Flick._

"_And now the 7 o'clock news… This is Scarlet Gracia reporting._"

His face frowned. Oh, no. Not the news….

"_This is little Timmy. Little Timmy has been living in the orphanage for the past three years already. He is a crippled and is partially deaf._"

Ever since Channel 9 had helped sponsored orphans and disabled people, the entire network had been plagued by sponsors and supports for orphans and those who were less fortunate. What Channel 9 did was considered as a noble thing and it had been given credit as the most understanding and considerate channel of the year. It had earned itself a good name. From that day on, every other channel in the network had followed in Channel 9's footstep. There was not a day passed that he would see ads and news about little orphans, seniors and disabled people. After a while, it really did get annoying. Concluding that there was nothing worth watching, he was about to switch off the television when something in the news caught his attention.

"There was a robbery in Station Square Museum earlier today. Mysteriously enough, nothing has been reported missing, except a rare Chaos Emerald. No one has seen the culprit. However, according to a security surveillance camera…."

_Ding Dong!_

He groaned. What now? He turned away from the television and eyed the door behind him. This better be something important. He was not in the mood to deal with anybody who might be asking for a kind heart or soul. Ever since that sponsor that Channel 9 did, he had continuously been visited by people and furries who would ask him for some charity fund. He had gladly donated some of his hard-earned money. However, this had been going on for months! These guys should seriously learn when to call it quits.

_Ding Dong!_

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" he yelled. He got up from his seat and tossed his remote onto a cushion.

He answered his door, half-expecting it to be the Red Cross or, for that matter, anyone who was going to ask him for money and stuffs. He was surprised when he saw an icy blue hedgehog standing at his door. She had the look that seriously reminded readers of a certain black hedgehog. The main differences were that she had white stripes that went across her spikes instead of the normal red and she had bangs that screamed 'déjà vu'. She wore a pair of jeans, a pair of hover shoes, and a gothic shirt that had a picture of a skull right in the middle of it. One of her ears was pierced. She had no gloves on. Her eyes were an eerie red. What distinguished her from a 'normal' Mobian hedgehog was that she had a pair of bat-like wings. However, that was not his main concern. She was wielding a mega-sized sword. It was not everyday that he had visitors that would wield a weapon right at his door.

"Well, excuse me for my good looks," said the icy blue hedgehog. She looked slightly annoyed. "Are you done with your staring?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and cleared his throat. "May I help you?" he asked.

"Yes," said the hedgehog. She looked pissed. "I'm looking for Sonic."

"Sonic?"

"Yes. Is he in?"

"In?"

The girl was annoyed. "What are you? A parrot?" she said coldly.

Something told him that he should not be messing around with this girl; not when she was wielding a Mega-sized sword with an attitude that screamed 'KILL'. "No, no, no," he said quickly. "I'm just wondering… Do I know you?"

The hedgehog gave him a cold look. "The name's Ice. Ice the Hedgehog."

"Ice, eh?"

Ice nodded.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Look," said Ice. She leaned forward and glared at him. "I'm not in the mood to talk here." She held up her sword and aimed it in front of his throat. "Just tell me- Is Sonic in or not?"

"Well…" he swallowed. She was serious about looking for Sonic. However, it did not look as if it would be a friendly meeting between her and Sonic. He did not want to say anything. Yet, he did not dare to provoke her. "You have come to the right place," he said half-truthfully. "It is just that you won't often find him here."

"And why not?"

"Sonic…. is a travelling sort of guy. He travels a lot. He hates staying around in the same place too long. He would pay me a visit once in a while. However, those kinds of visits are rare and far-in-between."

"Any chance of knowing when he would visit again?"

"I don't know..."

Ice threateningly positioned her sword nearer to the boy's throat. He never did stop eyeing the weapon. "I swear!" he nearly yelled. "I don't know. Sonic has never notified me his visits. He'll drop by every once in a while. However, that is completely random and infrequent!"

Much to his relief, Ice withdrew her sword.

"I can wait," she said coolly.

She opened her wings and started flapping. She lifted herself off the ground and gave him an evil smirk.

"I'll be back, Tails," she said. She bided a farewell to the orange kitsune and flew away.

Tails did not even bother to look where Ice had flown too. He was much too stunned with what had happened earlier. How did she…? How did she know his nickname? His feet were trembling and he was at loss for words. Eventually, he gave up his strength and slumped down to the floor. He leaned against his door and sighed. One of these days, he was going to go mad. He was sure of it. There were just too many unwelcome visitors lately…. That day was particularly the oddest day of all…

---

Station Square City. It was one of the grandest suburbs in Metropolis. It had grand cinemas, cheap sales, and a five-star hotel located right in the heart of the suburb. It was well-known for its clean beaches, romantic indoor theme parks and expensive restaurants. It was also widely known as a girl's heaven as it provides huge mega-sales, massive shopping complexes and large selections of clothes and facilities. However, above all, it was well-known for its local heroes…

"Sonic! Come back here!"

"NO!"

Anyone who heard that would have known who were the screaming pair. Some could only shake their hands and sighed as they watched this typical event. Many would pity the victim. Others would cheer for the pursuer. There was not a day passed in Station Square that everyone would witness Amy chasing her favourite hero, Sonic.

"Sonic!" screamed Amy. Amy angrily pursuit Sonic. She was wielding her massive mallet. She was frowning deeply and she was showing her teeth as she clenched her mouth.

"Stay away from me, you pink devil!" Sonic yelled back. Sonic swerved his way around the crowd. Most of them simply gave way and ignored the screaming girl. They were used to this typical event….

"Sonic, over here!"

The blue hedgehog looked around. A human waiter who wore a high-class tuxedo was waving at him. He was standing at the door of 'De' Chalet Café', a high-class, expensive, five-star restaurant. As he waved, he pointed his finger at the inside of the restaurant. Sonic took the hint and ran up to the waiter.

"Great," he said. "Where can I hide?"

"Here!"

He grabbed the hedgehog's hand, took him inside, and quickly shoved him under an occupied table.

"Hey," screamed an eating coyote, displeased with his sudden intrusion. "Whut are you doeng?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Antoine," said the human waiter regrettably. "But, this is urgent. Take it that you have seen nothing, ya?"

"Whut do you mean by 'takeng et by not zeeing anytheng'? How can I eat weth a hedgehog under my table?" said the coyote, annoyed. "I mus complaen!" He lifted up his hand and screamed. "Cheef! Cheef!"

The human waiter pleaded, "Please, Mr. Antoine. It's just going to be a while…."

"NO!"

Sonic could only roll his eyes. The troubles that people had to go through just to help him…

He got out from his hiding place and stood firmly beside the coyote. He pointed at the coyote's chest and frowned. "Look Mr. French Guy. Does it hurt you to be more understanding? The troubles that I have gone through to save you and your precious life, ain't that grateful?" he said his last line with a sarcastic tone to it.

"Whut kind of mannerz eez thez?" said the coyote as he stood up. He looked pretty offended. He was getting ready to leave the restaurant. "Eez thez whut I get for paying 500 dollarz in a five-ztar restaurant?!?"

"It wouldn't hurt to just shut you mouth for once, would it?"

The coyote frowned. His face was slowly turning red like a fresh tomato.

"Please, Sonic," the waiter pleaded. "You don't want to offend him. He's a food critic."

"Food critic, eh?" said Sonic amusingly. He crossed his arms and looked at the coyote nonchalantly. "Being born in a high-class family. You think you are that great, eh? Well, I got news for you, Mr. Ant! I don't respect arrogant snobs like you!"

"Why you….!" said the coyote as he glared at Sonic. "I'm goeng to geve you e 'zero'. A 'zero' for thez restaurant. 'Zero' for etz poor zervizz. You don't dezerve to call yourzelf a feve-ztar reztaurant!"

Sonic was getting amused with this. The oh great food critic was creating a large commotion of himself. Just about everyone in the restaurant was staring at them. Admittedly, he was enjoying tormenting the French guy. "I'm sorry to tell you, Mr Ant. But, I don't work here…."

However, his enjoyment was short-lived. A second later, he heard someone bellowed.

"Alright, what the hell is going on here?!?"

It seemed that everyone had stopped at what they were doing. All the waiters, waitresses and chefs were there, staring. A large human stood above the crowd. He was standing right at the center of the restaurant, looking extremely displeased.

"Mr. Lepewe!" exclaimed the waiter.

Everyone in the restaurant shifted their attention to the Big Chief. He had that typical look of a high-class chef; fat, white kitchen attires, strange swirly moustache, big nose and a tiny pair of eyes. He was about two times of Sonic's height. He wielded a giant spoon, which Sonic assumed that he was in the middle of his cooking before he was interrupted. He had that stern look all over his face.

"Well," he demanded. "Would anyone care to explain what happened?"

The coyote walked up to the chef and smiled. "Mr. Lepewe," he said, looking pleased. "Et ez thez waeter and hez hedgehog friend." He looked at Sonic and frowned. He faked his smile again as he turned his attention back on the chef. "They lack mannerz. You muz punesh 'dem!"

The big Chief cocked his eyebrow. He stared at the coyote and turned his head to eye on Sonic. His expression appeared to be unreadable. He went up to the hedgehog and said sternly, "Bonzour."

Sonic, looking bored, simply replied, "Yeah. So?"

"I have heard of you. You are Mr. Sonic, aren't you?"

"The one and only."

A wide smile spread across the chef's face. Unexpectedly, he bent down to the hedgehog's height and gave him a big, friendly hug. The hedgehog's eyes widened. He lifted the hedgehog off from the ground and exclaimed, "Oh, Mr Sonic. I feel honoured. Welcome to 'De' Chalet Café'! Have you come to eat? Don't worry about the price. It's on the house!"

The human waiter looked relieved, whereas the coyote could only stare in disbelief.

"Yes, Mr. Chief," said Sonic between gasps. "That's very nice of you! But, can you let go of me now?"

"I'm more than happy to!" said the chef as he let go of his grasp.

Sonic quickly took deep breaths of air the moment he was free. "Gee," he commented. "That's welcoming…"

"Hold et! Hold et! Hold et!" screamed the coyote, jumping around like a spoilt child. "What en the world ez going on here?" He demanded for an explanation. He did not like exactly where this was going. How could the Big Chief be so friendly with this…. this rude hedgehog?

"Don't you recognize him, Mr. Antoine?" said the human waiter. "He's Sonic, our local hero. He saved us from annihilation a couple of months ago!"

"Hero or not," said the coyote stubbornly. "He muz be punished!"

"I'm sorry Mr. Antoine," said Mr. Lepewe as he smiled. He looked at Sonic and gave him a friendly rub on his head. "I must apologize for what has happened here earlier. However, Mr. Sonic is our celebrity here. He has saved our lives before. We owe him."

The coyote frowned. "Thez eez ztupid!"

Ignoring him, the Big Chief turned to Sonic and asked, "So, my friend. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Well…"

"Sonic!"

The hedgehog yelped. Oh, no. With all the notions that had happened earlier, he had totally forgotten about Amy!

"For one," he said quickly. "Tell that hedgehog girl that I'm not in!" Quickly, he crept under a table and hid there.

---

"Sonic!" Amy yelled. She eyed the crowd in the restaurant. For a while, there was an awkward silence. She was frowning. No one dared to approach her. They all just stared. She wielded her hammer and it looked as if she was ready to smack anyone who dared to piss her off.

Concluding that no one else was going to approach the pink hedgehog girl, Mr. Lepewe stepped forward and politely asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Rose?"

"Sonic!" the girl yelled. "Where is Sonic?" She waved her hammer around and smashed it right onto the black and white chequered-floor, creating a dent. She did not care whether if she was scaring the customers, nor did she care about the damage that she created. She basically was far too angry to think.

Although he was concerned about the condition of his restaurant, Mr. Lepewe said nothing about Amy's unpleasant attitude. He remained calm and said, "Mr. Sonic, you say?"

The hedgehog girl gave him a weird look. "Don't you pretend that you haven't seen him. I was told that he came in here not too long ago."

"Yes," Mr. Lepewe sighed. "I admit it."

Sonic's eyes widened. The heck? That big Chief! That traitor!

"He was here a moment ago. But, he has left."

Never in his life had he felt so relieved. Okay. Maybe, just maybe, he had underestimated the Big Chief. But, hey. It could not be helped that he just got to know the Big Chief a couple of seconds ago….

Despite the chef's good acting skills, Amy was not buying it. "Really?" she said. She scanned through her surrounding. Everyone remained silent. In the middle of the restaurant, she saw a trembling table. Amy gave out an evil smirk. Found him!

"Move aside, Chief," said the hedgehog girl. Obediently, Mr. Lepewe did as what the hedgehog girl commanded him to do.

She crept up to the trembling table, took hold of the table cloth with one of her hands and positioned her mallet right next to the table. "Got you now, Sonic!" she screamed. Amy quickly removed the table cloth, revealing the occupant that had been hiding under the table. She raised her mallet and was about to hit her target when her target screamed, "Pleeze! Don't kill meee!"

The trembling voice surprised her. She stopped at what she was about to do and stared down at her victim. What she saw surprised her.

"You're not Sonic!" she said. In place of her hero, Sonic, it was Mr. Antoine. He was trembling and was begging her to spare his life. "Pleeze!" screamed the coyote. "What did I evar' do to dezerve thezz?!"

The hedgehog girl blushed. She felt deeply embarrassed. She could hear silent snickers and giggles all around her.

Mr. Lepewe himself tried hiding his own amusement. He remained calm and said, "There, you see, Miss Rose. No blue hedgehog here."

Amy was at loss for words. "I'm… I'm sorry… I…I…"

She could not take it any longer. "I'm sorry for the trouble, Chief," the hedgehog girl said quickly. "I'll come back some other day to pay for the damage." She covered her face and quickly exited the building. She was blushing like mad.

---

Sonic was unable to contain himself. He was rolling all over the floor, laughing. Man, he had wished that the others were here. They should have seen Amy's face. It was priceless.

He got out from his hiding place and expressed his thanks to the Big Chief. "Thanks for the help, Chief. I owe you one."

Mr. Lepewe was flattered. "I'm always glad to help, Mr. Sonic. It was the only thing I could do. I owe you my life, remember?"

He had always liked being praised. He liked the fact that his deeds were widely recognized. He had always liked the attention that people gave him. He never was that humble with the 'wonderful' things that he did to the people. Yet, he knew that he must not get all this 'hero' worship thing into his head. He was confident and arrogant. Yet, even he knew that heroes have their own limits when it comes to recognizing their own deeds.

"Don't say that. I'm just doing what's right," said Sonic and he really did mean it.

"That is very noble of you, Mr. Sonic," said Mr. Lepewe, laughing. Everyone else cheered.

Suddenly, a strong burnt aroma filled the entire dining hall. "Is something burning?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed one of the chefs. "My rarebit! My precious rarebit!"

He ran towards the kitchen door and disappeared into the kitchen.

Mr. Lepewe sighed, "One of these days, I will fire that chef." He took a look at his watch and realized just how late the day had gotten. "Well, well, well," he said. "It's already half past seven." He turned around and clapped his hands. "Alright, everybody!" he said loudly. "Back to work!"

The waiter and waitresses went back to serving their customers. The customers went back to eating their dinners. All the other chefs went back to their cooking. There was no sign of what had happened earlier, save for the huge dent near the entrance door that Amy had created.

"So, Mr. Sonic," said the Big Chief. "Is there anything you would like to have? Spaghetti? Pasta? French Toast?"

"Nah!" said Sonic. "I would not want to offend you, Chief. But, I hate European food! I'll just head down to the hot dog stand and get myself a chilli dog."

"I'm offended," said Mr. Lepewe playfully. "How can I, the Great Chef of 'De' Chalet Café' lose to a simple chilli dog. Surely, there is something that I can make to suit your taste."

"I just prefer having something simple."

"Um, sir…." Mr. Lepewe felt a soft tap at his shoulder. He turned around and eyed on the human waiter.

"What is it?" asked the Big Chief, slightly annoyed. He disliked having people interrupting his conversations, not especially when he was talking to a great celebrity, like Sonic.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Sir. But, what I am going to do Mr. Antoine here?"

Mr. Antoine…. Wow, they had almost forgotten him…. Both Mr. Lepewe and Sonic looked down at the trembling coyote. He was in a trance and was continuously muttering, "Pleazezparemylife! WhatdidIevar'dotodezervethez? Pleazezparemylife! WhatdidIevar'otodezervethez? Pleazezparemylife! WhatdidIevar'dotodezervethez? Pleaze…"

Sonic knelt down beside the coyote and waved his hand in front him. The coyote did not respond. He simply continued staring to the floor and continuously muttering his monotonous chant.

"Geeshweesh," the hedgehog commented. "He looks possessed!"

"That poor fool," said Mr. Lepewe, shaking his head. "He is always hiding under the table whenever something arises."

"You mean- this isn't the first time he does this?"

The Big Chief nodded. "He is always a coward, cowering in fear whenever something bad has happened. I suspect that he might have hid himself when Miss Rose arrived."

"Really?" said Sonic, amused. He turned to eye on the cowering coyote. It was hard to believe that this… this crazy mammal was a food critic. "If that's the case, how in the world did he become…."

"…a food critic?"

Sonic nodded.

"Well," explained Mr. Lepewe. "He may not look like it, but he has a talent for tasting great French food. Just one mere lick of a dish and he can tell you all the ingredients that have been used in that particular dish. He knows what are the best way and the best combos of ingredients to prepare a French dish. He was a French chef himself."

"Serious?" said Sonic disbelievingly. The hedgehog must admit. He was impressed.

"The downside to Mr. Antoine here though," continued Mr. Lepewe. "He simply is too fussy with his food and services."

"So, he was kicked out?" Sonic concluded.

The Big Chief nodded. "His career as a chef never did take off. So, he came to America and became a food critic, who specializes in French food."

"Hmmm," Sonic nodded thoughtfully. "But, Chief."

"Yes, Sonic?"

"There is something that has been bugging me. How did you actually get to know, Mr. Ant?"

"In a food festival," Mr. Lepewe answered. "I was impressed with his talent for tasting French food. So, I asked him to check on my cooking skills. I must admit, he has helped me a whole lot since then."

"Oh."

"Unfortunately though, he has never been given that much respect as a food critic…."

Sonic cocked his eyebrow. He eyed the trembling coyote. He could exactly see why that was the case…

"But, it is not what you think."

"Huh?" Wait a minute. How did he know what the hedgehog was exactly thinking?

Mr. Lepewe merely smirked. "I know that look! Let me explain; you're not the first one who had come to know about Mr. Antoine. I have talked to many people before. You see, though he may appear to be a coward, selfish, arrogant fool as he is, you must admit that you'll feel sorry for him if you have come to know about his story. As his friend, I have always tried to justify his persona. He may not look like it. However, he is an insecure and sensitive kind of person."

Mr. Ant? Insecure? And sensitive? Wow, the sky must have fallen…

"He wanted to make a difference. He wanted to give people the kind of food that no one else has ever tasted. Unfortunately… he lacks such chance and opportunity. He has failed miserably as a French chef. So, he tries his career as a food critic. Regrettably, no one understands his ambition. Due to his flaws…he is simply deemed as a foolish coyote. He has never succeeded. So, he has never been given the respect that he fully deserves…"

"Wow, hold it," said the hedgehog. "You mean to tell me that he has never succeeded in his entire freakin' life?"

"If you're trying to imply that he is a sore loser," said Mr. Lepewe. "You're right."

Sonic stared at the coyote. He was still in a trance… The hedgehog must admit. He was starting to sympathize the French guy. Yet…

"Well, excuse me for being a heartless hedgehog," said Sonic. "But he seriously deserves it."

The blue speedster poked onto the coyote's back. Unexpectedly, the coyote yelped. He jumped from the floor and screamed.

"Pleeze! Don't hurt me!"

The coyote shivered and was covering his eyes with his hands. Sonic rolled his eyes. He was tempted to hit the coyote's head.

"Wake up, Twaine! Ames not here!"

"R-Re-Really?"

It took time for the coyote to calm his nerves. He scanned through the dining hall, seeking for any signs of the pink devil. None. Good. He dusted off imaginary dust off his shirt and said, "Of course, zhe's not here. I muz hev been dreaming. That eez et! I wuz dreaming!"

Oh, gosh. Sonic felt like he wanted to slap himself. Why did he even bother to sympathize this annoying freak…?

The coyote glared at the hedgehog. "Az for you, Zonic. You haz been rude, inconziderate and arrogant to me. I demand an apology."

"In your dreams, Mr. Ant," said Sonic.

"How dare you! No one makez the fuel out of Antoine D'Coolette!" 

"Is that your full name, Mr. Ant?" asked Sonic sarcastically. "Wow, it sucks being you. I have never heard of a stupider name."

The coyote's face started to turn red. "Why you ill-mannered, inzenzitive, inzenzible hedgehog!"

"Well, excuse me for my 'insensitiveness' for your sensitive and insecure persona!"

Realizing that this was getting nowhere, Mr. Lepewe yelled at the two Mobians to stop. "Alright. That's it! This is going nowhere! I don't suppose you two are going to settle this matter and become friends now, do you…?"

"You hit the nail, Chief!" said Sonic, crossing his arms and turned his back towards the coyote.

"Duet!" said Mr. Antoine.

Mr. Lepewe sighed. "I suggest that you two sit down and talk this through. Yelling and calling each other names isn't going to help."

"What is there to talk about?" said Sonic. He was sick of dealing with the coyote. He had secretly agreed that the conversation was getting nowhere. Yet, he didn't quite like with the idea of sitting down and talk through the matter. If he was going to get out of here, he would have to look for an excuse. "Look at the time, Chief. It's late. I better get going."

Without thinking much, the hedgehog revved up his speed and ran out of the place, yelling, "Adieus, Mr. Ant!"

Mr. Antoine was screaming, "Come back here, you mizerable hedgehog!"

Despite his yelling, the hedgehog was not coming back…

Mr. Lepewe sighed. "Let it go, Mr. Antoine. It's not worth pursuing over this matter."

"No!" the coyote said stubbornly. "Thez ez injuztiz. I muz get even with that mizerable hedgehog. No one makez a fuel out of Antoine D'Coolette!"

---

_Ring! Ring!_

"Come on, Sonic. Pick up the phone…"

_Ring! Ring! Dooo… Click._

"_I'm sorry but the number that you have called is currently unavailable…_"

It was that annoying voice again… "Argh!" Frustrated, Tails hung up his phone.

A few minutes after his strange encounter with the icy blue hedgehog, Tails had been trying to reach out for Sonic. However, each time he tried calling the blue hedgehog, there was no answer. This was his fifth failed attempt.

Knowing that he would not be able to see Sonic as often as he used to, Tails had suggested to Sonic that they should keep in contact through calls and e-mails. This was especially important if something urgent cropped up. Tails had given the blue hedgehog a cell phone.

However, things had not worked out as what the orange kitsune had hoped. Contacting Sonic was hard. Most of time, Tails would receive a failed call. The blue hedgehog himself was not helping. He seldom called and had hardly notified the orange kitsune his visits. What was even more aggravating was the fact that Sonic was always careless in handling his cell phone. The blue hedgehog had split water on his cell phone before. He had also stepped on it. Each time the hedgehog damaged his cell phone, Tails would have to fix it. There were several times that the blue speedster had even forgotten to bring his cell phone with him and had left it in Tails' workshop during his visits. Tails was beginning to wonder. Was it even worth giving Sonic a cell phone?

Suddenly, Tails heard a knock at his door. The kitsune groaned. This better be not one of those weird visitors again. He had enough for one day.

He reluctantly opened his door. It was Amy. The hedgehog girl was not up to her perky self that day. Instead, she looked angry.

"Oh. Hi, Amy!" Tails greeted.

The hedgehog girl did not answer. She simply pushed the orange kitsune aside and stomped right in. She scanned through the workshop and demanded, "Where is Sonic?"

Geesh weesh, what was up with hedgehog girls trying to find Sonic?

"Sonic is not here," Tails answered.

"Don't lie," said Amy. "I just saw him today."

"You sure?"

"In Station Square. But, I lost him."

"So, you're assuming that he may have come here?"

Amy simply gave Tails a cold glare. Tails felt a sweat right at the back of his head. That was it. It was official. Hedgehog girls were scary.

"I'm sorry, Amy," said Tails. "But, I haven't seen him since a couple of weeks ago. I have tried calling him today. But, it doesn't seem like he is answering…"

Amy gave Tails a deep frown. She crossed her arms and sighed angrily, "That's so typical of him. Running and hiding – that is all he is good at…"

Sonic? Running away from Amy? Wow, that was something new… "What did he do this time?"

"He promised me a date," she explained.

"A date?" Tails asked disbelievingly. "Since when?"

"Duh! Since last week," she said. "Didn't he tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Amy closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't believe this…" she said. "He is your best friend. And he did not tell you something that is this important?"

This time, it was Tails who was frowning. "I told you," he defended. "I have not seen him since a couple of weeks ago!"

Amy merely rolled her eyes. "Tsk! He should have at least given you a call or something. Don't tell me he hasn't done so since his last visit."

Tails' expression changed. He looked down to the floor, placed his hands behind his back and sighed. Using his hands, he played around with his tails, twisting and turning them. It was something that he often did whenever he felt guilty or ashamed. "I-I-I suppose that could be an option…" the kitsune said glumly. His ears drooped.

Unlike Tails, Amy was looking extremely pissed. "That Sonic!" she said. She balled up one of her hands and slammed into the other. "He is totally disregarding our feelings!"

"I'm sure that there is a reasonable explanation to this…" Tails tried to reason. "You got to remember that he travels a lot. He hates having to worry about things."

"But that doesn't give him the reason to shun us!" Amy stubbornly yelled. She placed her hands into her pocket and took out a pair of cards. She showed them to Tails. "I bought two movie tickets. I asked him if he would be interested in watching a movie with me. He said 'yes'. But…" The hedgehog girl paused. Her eyes were fidgeting. "He chickened out at the last minute!"

"Maybe… he had something more important to do. He just had not had the chance to tell you that…"

"Tsk! Much as I would like to believe that, I doubt that is the case. You're not the one who he has rejected for years." Amy looked away. She no longer was angry. Instead, she was on the verge of crying. However, Tails could tell that she was trying to hold her tears back.

"Amy…. I think that it would be better if you could just give Sonic some of his own space. You have been at his tail since eight years ago! Give him a break. He knows. I know. And I'm sure that even you would know what kind of a hedgehog Sonic is. He values his own personal time and space. He doesn't have the time to be concerned with you chasing him all the time!"

"Whose side are you on?!" Amy screamed.

"I'm not on anyone's side!" Tails reasoned. "I'm just trying to be reasonable!"

"You just don't understand. You're not the one who has been in love before!" Amy stubbornly said.

"Neither has Sonic!" Tails exclaimed.

"What did you say?"

Quickly, Tails covered his mouth with his hands. Whoops. Wrong choice of words…

"You boys are just so unfeeling!" Amy yelled. "I can't believe that you are still siding with Sonic, even when he has totally disregarded you as his friend!"

This time, it was Tails who looked offended. "Sonic has never disregarded anybody!" he yelled. Even then, the little kitsune was not sure if he was certain about this… Admittedly, his friendship with Sonic for the past few years had been pretty rocky. It all started when Tails finally decided to settle down and led his own life. He and Sonic were not communicating as much. Yet, Tails had always reasoned that this was mainly because that Sonic was much too busy doing his 'hero' thing, helping people and stuffs. Tails had always concluded that it was much more important for Sonic to think about those who were in need of help, instead of spending time with him.

"Whatever!" Amy screamed. "You just don't know a girl's heart! I'm leaving!"

The hedgehog girl stomped towards the door and slammed the door shut.

Maybe, he was stressed. Maybe, he was exhausted. "Fine!" he yelled. It just felt odd. He had never yelled at anybody before… The calm, brainiac Tails that he had always like to think of himself as…. He was seriously losing it…

---

Sonic stretched his arms and inhaled the fresh crisp air of Mystic Ruins. Aaaaahhh… It was good to be back. How he missed the fresh, green trees. How he missed the serene sound of the waterfall. How he missed the gentle wind, the clear sky, the unpolluted air, the Mayan ruins, etc. It was a great spot for him as he loved to simply relax and enjoy the serene environment. For a speed demon, Sonic unusually enjoyed breathing and appreciating nature.

He smiled to himself. Despite the beautiful and peaceful environment, he was only here for one sole reason. He exited the train station and headed right. There was where Tails' workshop was located.

He had not notified Tails of his presence in Mystic Ruins. But, the hedgehog wanted his visit to be a surprise. It had always been like that. He reasoned that it was a lot more fun this way. You can never guess when the hedgehog would turn up.

He took out his keys and unlocked the door of the workshop.

"Tails," he announced in a sing-song chant. "I'm back!"

Much to his surprise, there was no respond from the occupant of the workshop. The living room was a huge mess. There were books and papers scattered all over the floor. The tables and the sofas were not in their usual positions. The fan and the lights were left on. Yet, the hedgehog saw no orange kitsune.

"Hmmm," the hedgehog reasoned to himself. "He's probably not home."

Oh, well. He might as well make himself at home first as he waited for the two-tailed fox to turn up. He stacked the books back to their respective shelves and picked up the scattered papers and piled them next to the rubbish bin. He positioned the furniture back to their rightful positions and turned off all but one of the lights. The hedgehog shook his head. That kid… He could never keep his workshop clean…

---

Tails felt distracted. He needed to stay focus. Hence, he made the attempt to do something. One of his old bi-planes was desperately in need of fixing. So, he took out his tool box and headed down to the garage.

The garage was located right at the back of his workshop. It was an ideal place to park his bi-planes. It faced a high cliff. Hence, it was easy to do a takeoff and a landing near his workshop. There was nothing to brag about. The garage was a small parking lot and was only big enough to fit two bi-planes. It was dusty and old. The wall lacked its colours and the aluminium door was already rusting. One of these days, he was going to renew the garage. He just did not have the time to do it yet.

Once there, Tails opened his tool box. He realized that he did not have a screwdriver with him. The orange kitsune frowned. Great… He was far too lazy to walk back to his workshop. But…

He sighed. He turned around and headed back to his workshop. That day simply was not his day…

---

There! Sonic wiped his sweats away. He smiled to himself. The living room looked a lot cleaner now. Yet… He eyed on the pile of papers that he just made. What was he going to do with these junks?

He walked up to the pile and was about to grab hold of it when he heard someone yelled; "Don't touch them!"

---

"Don't touch them!" yelled Tails.

He had gone through the backdoor of the workshop when he saw a familiar blue hedgehog in the living room. Tails did not like what he saw. Sonic was cleaning the entire place…

His scream alarmed the blue speedster.

"Tails?"

Quickly, Tails ran up to Sonic and stood between him and the pile of papers. Ignoring the hedgehog, the orange kitsune quickly knelt down beside the pile and hysterically checked the pile to make sure that there was nothing missing. After a while, Tails stopped at what he was doing and sighed in relief. Phew! Nothing had gone missing, yet...

Instead of looking pleased at the arrival of the blue speedster, Tails was frowning at him.

"How many times have I told you, Sonic?" asked Tails, sounding rather displeased. "You are not to touch any of my belongings!"

"Sorry, Big Guy," said Sonic. "I was just trying to get this place cleaned."

"You don't have to worry about that! I can do the cleaning myself."

"Gee," said Sonic apologetically. "I was just trying to help you…"

Tails took a deep breath and sighed, "Never mind…"

There was an awkward silence between the two friends. Sonic was not comfortable with this sort of still silence. Hence, he tried talking. "So, Tails," he said. "What have you been doing for the past two weeks?"

"The usual," Tails answered. "Experimenting on my newest invention, fixing up some stuffs, reading, checking on the news…"

It was not a surly answer. Yet, Sonic did not like the way the kid had answered the question. Tails appeared to be unusually quiet that day. Usually, Tails would act enthusiastically and passionately whenever he saw Sonic. The kid would talk non-stop about his inventions and the things that he had done while Sonic was away. The hedgehog tried asking again, "How's your Cyclone going?"

"The Walker?"

Sonic nodded.

"It's coming out great," said the kitsune. "But it still need a little bit of tweaking."

Sonic waited. He waited for the kid to say more. But Tails said nothing else. Although he disliked hearing confusing, complicated geek talks, the hedgehog could not help but frowned. That was it? A short, simple, straightforward answer? No confusing science theory? No monotonous, boring explanation about the machine and how it worked? That was so unlike Tails…

He was concerned about this. Yet, he dared not express his anxiety over the matter. Instead, the hedgehog tried appearing like he was interested in the Walker.

"How about showing me that great invention of yours?" he asked.

Tails did not answer. He simply waved his hand, asking the hedgehog to follow him. Tails led Sonic to the garage. Upon entering the garage, it reminded Tails of his screwdriver… Darnit… He had totally forgotten about it….

He showed Sonic how the Cyclone worked. How it walked. How it was able to fire missiles. How it could hover. Most of the time, Sonic would ask him questions, like how the machine actually worked or how much time did the kitsune actually spend creating it. For each question, Tails would simply give the hedgehog a short simple answer. At the end of the demonstration, Tails asked, "Why the sudden interest in machines?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have never shown that much interest in machines before…."

"True, but this one is interesting."

Tails sighed. He did not like where this conversation was going. Sonic… Why did he have to lie? Ignoring the hedgehog, Tails unfastened his seat belt and got off the walker. He walked out of the garage and sat himself down onto the green grass. He laid his back on the ground and stared at the starry night.

Sonic was baffled. He disliked the lack of response that Tails was giving him. He eyed the kitsune and followed him.

Once outside, he looked at Tails. The kitsune looked back.

"May I?"

The kid turned his head away from the hedgehog. Regardless, Sonic took that as a 'yes'.

He sat down beside the kitsune. Unlike Tails though, Sonic chose to sit upright. He looked up at the sky and commented, "The sky is clear tonight, isn't it? Look at the stars. They are beautiful."

Yet, Tails remained unresponsive.

Sonic sighed.

For a while, the duo remained silent. The only thing that Sonic could hear were the crickets and the croaking of the frogs. And perhaps, the train that passed through the Mystic Ruins at every ten minutes or so. He listened attentively and closed his eyes. It was a quiet place, a deep contrast to the bustling city of Metropolis.

"How's your day?" Tails asked suddenly.

"Huh?" The hedgehog did not expect a question from the kid. Hence, he was surprised. He looked at the kid and saw that the kid was eyeing him.

But the stare did not last long. The kitsune broke the eye contact. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from the hedgehog and asked again, "How's your day?"

"Oh," said the hedgehog awkwardly. "It was great. How's yours?"

Tails opened his eyes and frowned. However, he did not look straight into the hedgehog's eyes. Instead, he kept his gaze at the night sky above.

"Fine…" he answered.

After a while, he got up from his position and headed towards the cliff. He merely stood there. Sonic watched the kitsune's bizarre behaviour. Seconds later, the kid took a seat and kept his gaze at the deep, blue sea in front of him.

Sonic heaved a deep sigh and shook his head. Enough was enough.

"Hey, kid."

Tails looked back. Sonic was heading this way. Quickly, he turned his head back to the ocean and kept quiet. This time, the hedgehog did not ask. He simply took a seat beside the kitsune. He placed his hand on one of the kid's shoulders and asked, "You feeling okay?"

Silence. The kitsune's ears drooped. He looked down onto the ground and played around with his tails.

"I tried calling you today…" Tails finally said.

"Really?"

"Didn't you hear the ringtones?" Tails asked. "I have been getting nothing but failed calls."

For a moment, Sonic thought deeply. He checked on his sneakers and took out his cell phone. He examined it. Whoops. The battery was flat. It was no wonder…

"Sonic!" he heard Tails yelled.

"Gah! Sorry!"

"This is so typical of you!"

"Okay, okay. I forgot to recharge my batteries. Big deal."

"What if I have something urgent to tell you?"

"I'm sure that you're capable in taking care of yourself. You don't need me."

Tails heaved in frustration. "You're missing my point here..."

"This is more that just me forgetting to recharge the batteries, isn't it?"

"Look, if there is something that is bothering you, just say it."

"That's my point, Sonic. It has always been about me, hasn't it? Tails this. Tails that. Isn't there anything else that you would like to talk about?"

"Huh?"

Tails sighed. This was getting nowhere. "Never mind..."

Silence. Sonic was puzzled. What was going through the kid's head? The hedgehog tried to reason. He really did. Had something happened? He wanted to ask Tails. But, the kid was not giving him any direct answer. The hedgehog frowned. He never did like to think much, especially when it was about a subject that the hedgehog could not fully understand.

Neither said a word.

Tails wished that Sonic could do more than just listening. The hedgehog had always been a great friend. He was a great listener. Yet...

"Look out, Tails," he heard the hedgehog yelled.

"Wha…?"

Before he could realize what was happening, Sonic pushed the young kid aside. Both the Mobians rolled across the grass and stopped right at the end of the cliff. It was close. Tails opened his eyes and he saw the deep, violent sea right below him. Tails almost screamed. He heard a loud boom behind him. He was confused. What was going on?

"I finally found you, Sonic," he heard someone said. Tails' eyes widened. That voice…

He quickly got up from the ground and eyed at the creature behind him. Sonic followed suit.

"You…" It was that icy blue hedgehog again…

"Yes, Tails. It's me, Ice."


	2. Chapter 1: Meet Ice the hedgehog

**World Within Worlds**

**Chapter 1**

The icy blue hedgehog was snarling at the other two Mobians. She gave them an evil smirk and stared intently at them. She held up her sword and stood firmly. It looked as if she was preparing herself for an upcoming fight. As she did that, her blade started to glow. A dark, purplish aura formed around it.

Sonic's ears tensed. He had years of experience in dealing with Chaos Energy. Hence, he was able to detect any forms of energy that surge through his surrounding. He could feel a dark energy sizzling in the icy blue hedgehog's blade. The energy felt close to that of the Chaos Energy. Yet, it was different. There was no positive feeling to it. It was pure negative energy. Despite that, the hedgehog remained calm.

"Tails," the hedgehog asked. "Do you know her?"

Tails shook his head. "Ironically," he said. "I was about to ask you the same question…"

The hedgehog was baffled. "Are you sure?"

"Sonic, you're the one that she is looking for."

"But, I don't even know her!"

In the midst of confusion, the icy blue hedgehog stepped in. "Allow me to introduce myself," she said calmly. "I'm Ice, Ice the hedgehog. I have come from a distant land called 'The Great Forest'." Using her sword, she pointed at Sonic and said furiously, "And I have come here today to disperse of you, Sonic the hedgehog!"

Despite her threatening approach, it left Sonic more confused than ever. "Me?" he asked. "Why do you want to do that?"

Ice gritted her teeth and said, "Don't you recognize me, Sonic? We were childhood friends!"

Sonic cocked his eyebrow. "Really?" he asked.

Ice moaned. This was getting more difficult that she had anticipated. "Let me refresh you memory…"

"I used to be a sweet, innocent hedgehog girl," explained Ice. "Everyone adored me. I was popular. I was obsessed with candies. I especially liked the orange ones. They were the best."

Sonic looking bored, said impatiently, "Spare me your lengthy biography and just cut to the chase already!"

"Shut up!" yelled Ice. "I'm telling a story here!"

Sonic rolled his eyes. Oh, brother. He seriously did not have time for this…

"I was born in the 19th of December 1991. I lived in a village called Knothole. There, I lived with my Mother and my Father. I was happy there. One day, I was out by the river swimming when I saw you for the first time. You were fishing. I saw just lonely you were. So, I invited you to swim with me. We had a race but you won. We became instant friends. You were such a good swimmer," Ice said dreamily.

Both Sonic and Tails looked at each other. The blue speedster grinned. He lifted his hand and made an imaginary circle with his finger and did it several more times beside his forehead. Tails closed his eyes and covered his mouth as he giggled. Neither said a word. Ice moaned, "Why the hell are you Mobians laughing?"

Sonic turned his gaze back at Ice and said, "I hate to break the news to ya. But, I can't swim. Have never been able to."

"Don't lie!"

"It is the truth!" said Sonic. "What's more, I don't recall befriending a hedgehog girl with a pair of bat-like wings when I was a kid. In fact, I don't even recall seeing any hedgehog Mobian that has such wings!"

"Don't be stupid," yelled Ice. "This is a common feature for hedgehogs."

"Hedgehogs can't fly!" Sonic reasoned.

"Neither can foxes," Ice stubbornly yelled as she lifted her fingers and pointed accusingly at Tails.

"True," said Sonic. "But you don't see him flying around with a pair of ridiculous wings now, do you?"

"Aaargh!" Ice screamed. "This is going nowhere!"

Despite her yelling, despite her shouting, it did not help to stir the blue speedster. Instead, the dark blue hedgehog crossed his arms and faked a yawn. He tapped his foot and said, "Look, Girl. Are you sure you have gotten the right hedgehog?"

"Are you implying that I have made a mistake?" said Ice crossly. "Who else has a name called 'Sonic'?"

"Are you sure it is not 'Eggman'? I can give you his contact detail if you like."

Ice's frown deepened. Without warning, she charged up her sword and shot a dark energy ball towards Sonic. Sonic's eyes widened. He leaped away, barely missing the dark energy ball. The blue hedgehog eyed Ice. He clenched his fists and frowned.

"Don't you dare make fun of me!" screamed Ice. "You're always like that, acting like you don't know anything. I will never forget the day you stole my candy. I was miserable for weeks! I stopped talking to anyone. I was always plotting for revenge. Both my Mum and Dad hate me now. And no one wants to talk to me. I have no friends! I have no future! My life sucks. And it's your entire fault, Sonic!"

That was the stupidest thing that he had ever heard. Plotting revenge just because of a lost candy? Geesh! "Doesn't it occur to you that this entire thing is your own fault?" asked Sonic. Suddenly, dealing with Antoine didn't seem to look as bad as he had thought.

But Ice remained stuboorn. "No!"

She charged up her sword again and shot another dark energy ball towards the darker blue hedgehog. This time it was bigger. Thanks to his speed, Sonic was able to dodge the attack with ease. He looked at Ice. He pulled his mouth and stuck out his tongue at the hedgehog girl. His action provoked Ice.

"Why you… You think you're smart, don't you? Well, take this."

This time, instead of using her sword, Ice let out her hand and used it to form tiny, little ice balls. She flapped her wings and lifted herself off the ground. Once she was high enough, she let go of her ice balls and formed a hail. Sonic was completely caught off guard with this. An elemental attack? Since when a Mobian had the ability to learn an elemental attack? It was near impossible. Such attack only existed in stories and fantasy books…

He shielded himself from the violent hail.

"Sonic!"

The hedgehog's ears perked up. His eyes widened.

"Tails," he yelled.

He looked around. He saw the orange kitsune in a near distance. He was twirling his tails as an attempt to shield himself. But the kid looked vulnerable.

"Hold on, kid!"

Quickly, the hedgehog ran to the kitsune's side and sheltered him from the hailing storm. Tails stopped his twirling and laid himself against the hedgehog's feet.

"You okay, kid?" Sonic asked, concerned.

The kitsune meekly nodded.

Sonic gritted his teeth. Enough was enough. He looked at Tails, held out one of his arms, and sternly told the kitsune, "Hold onto me and don't let go."

Tails did not hesitate to do as what he was told. He grasped onto the hedgehog's arm and closed his eyes.

"Hold on tight," Sonic warned.

Sonic knelt onto the ground and started spinning. He aimed at Ice and started spewing soils all over her.

Ice was caught with surprise. Rocks and dirt were falling on her. She stopped at what she was doing and shielded herself. Immediately, the hail stopped.

Seizing the chance, Sonic gave a nod at Tails. In response, Tails gave him a thumb up, indicating the hedgehog that he understood the message. The kitsune spun his tails and flew towards Ice.

When her vision cleared, Ice saw the orange kitsune waving his hand at her. "You…"

Tails grinned. Without saying anything, he twirled around and slammed his tails right onto Ice.

The force that hit Ice sent her spiralling down towards the cliff.

At first, Sonic was grinning. He was feeling darn proud at Tails. However, as he followed his gaze at where Ice was going to land, the darker blue hedgehog started to frown. Ice landed on the ground with a loud thud. However, because the cliff was steep, Ice started to roll down and was heading straight to the dark violent sea below. It did not appear that Ice was awake. Tails must have hit her unconscious.

Quickly, Sonic revved up his speed and ran towards the direction where Ice was.

Unfortunately, before he could reach her, he was plunged back by an invincible barrier. He awkwardly fell backward and hit his backside right onto the ground. Sonic winced at his pain. He closed his eyes and rubbed his tail with his hand.

"Not another step forward," he heard someone said.

The hedgehog quickly opened his eyes but he saw no one. He looked around. What he saw stunned him.

"What the…?"

It felt like time had just stopped. The hell… He might as well just say that time itself had stopped. Everything that was supposed to be in motion had stopped moving. He looked up at Tails and noticed that the kid was not moving. Eerily, the kid remained floating in the air, defying gravity. He glanced over at Ice. She was in the same state, still and lifeless.

He could no longer feel the wind, nor could he hear, nor smell anything. What the hell was going here?

Seconds later, he saw a flickering light forming in front of him. Instantly, that light changed into a Mobian-like creature. Sonic yelped and took a step back.

If he thought that Eggman's robots looked strange, Sonic had seen nothing yet.

In front of him stood what Sonic presumed to be the strangest thing that he had ever seen. He saw a Mobian, wearing what looked like a futuristic space suit. It wore a sphere-like helmet, complete with a funny-looking headphone attached to the sides and the top of its head. It wore a grey belt, with an orb fastened to its front. It had a pair of robotic, blue gloves and wore a pair of heavy-looking boots. Sonic winced. It did not look as if it was comfortable wearing that strange attire… The strange Mobian crossed its arms and gave Sonic a mischievous grin. It eerily resembled the kind of grins that Sonic himself would express.

He did not know why. But that grin annoyed him.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

But the strange Mobian did not answer.

"Look," said Sonic. "If you're going to just stand there and creep me out with that stupid grin of your, forget it."

Ignoring the strange Mobian, Sonic walked to the side and headed towards where Ice was. Unexpectedly, the strange Mobian mirrored the hedgehog's steps and blocked his way. Sonic groaned. He turned to his right. The Mobian again mirrored the hedgehog's steps.

Annoyed, Sonic yelled, "Move aside, you cyber freak."

"You don't want to do this. Thrust me."

Finally, it talked. From the sound of it, Sonic presumed that the Mobian was a male.

"Why should I thrust you?" Sonic asked.

However, the Mobian did not answer. He merely shrugged his shoulders and said, "Suit yourself…"

He touched his orb and instantly disappeared. As soon as he was gone, Sonic heard Tails yelling, "Sonic!"

The hedgehog jumped in surprise. Realizing that he was suppose to be in the middle of a certain rescue, he looked back at where Ice was and quickly ran to her side.

The icy blue hedgehog was about to fall off the cliff when Sonic caught hold of her hand. Unfortunately, the blade that Ice was holding had slipped off from her other hand and it plunged right into the deep sea below. It did not matter. The girl was safe.

He held the girl on his arms and brought her to a safer ground. The darker blue hedgehog saw the girl's eyes flicked. She slowly opened her eyes and looked straight at Sonic's face. Ice started to blush.

"Oh, Sonic," she said slowly. "What is this feeling that I'm feeling?'

The darker blue hedgehog cocked an eyebrow. Suddenly, he heard Ice screamed, "Oooooooh!"

Unexpectedly, she grabbed hold onto him and hugged him. "Sonic," she cooed. "I have never realized that you are this handsome!"

Wha…? It took time for the darker blue hedgehog to realize what had happened. When the realization hit him, the speedster panicked.

"No!" he yelled. "I'm not interested in this. Stay away from me. Go away. Go home!"

He tried freeing himself from the hedgehog girl. He let go of her and tried pushing her away from him. However, it was a hopeless effort. Ice simply would not let go.

Sonic looked up at Tails and yelled, "Tails! Bro! Get down here! Help me with this!"

But Tails refused to come down. The orange kitsune remained quiet. "Sorry, Sonic," he muttered regrettably. He simply had enough of hedgehog girls for one day…


End file.
